Apparatus for extracting copper.



V. A. BREWER. APPARATUS FOR EXTRAGTING COPPER. APPLIUATION FILED AUG. 1,1910.

994,301. 1 Patented June 6; 1911.

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VERA A. BREWER, 0F LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

APPARATUS FOR EXTRACTING COPPER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 6, 19111.

Application filed August 1, 1910. Serial No. 575,027.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, VERA AMY BREWER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State ofCalifornia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Apparatus forExtract-ing Copper, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the extraction of copper from its ores, andespecially to such processes which employ a solvent for the copperwhereby a solution of copper is provided from which the copper is thenobtained. n

More particularly the invention concerns itself with a process of thiskind in which the copper is removed from the solution by lthe medium ofiron bars upon which the metallic copper precipitates.

The object of this invention is to provide a process and apparatus bymeans of which the process may be carried. on continuously and withoutthe loss of any part of the solution containing copper.

. The invention consists in the process and apparatus to be more fullydescribed hereinafter and particularly set forth in the claim.

In the annexed drawing which fully illustrates my invention Figure 1 isa plan of my apparatus by means of which I carry out my process. Fig. 2is a section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Referring more particularly to the parts, the apparatus comprises alarge tank or vat 3 in which I place a liquid solvent, the level ofwhich may be located at about the line 4, as indicated in Fig. 2. Thissolvent is made as follows: two parts of hydrochloric acid HCL; twoparts of sulfuric acid H2SO4; 1/16 part of any salt, such as commontable salt. These substances having been mixed together form aconcentrate, and this concentrate should be diluted in the proportion ofone gallon to three hundred gallons of water. This produces a bath forthe tank or vat 3, which will give good results. In

order to protect this tank from the action of the acid I employ a tankof steel which is thoroughly coated on the interior with cyanid paintwhich is burned in.

Within the vat 3 and immersed in the bath I provide a plurality of oreholders 5, which are in the form of shallow boxes of steel paintedinside and out with cyanid paint. These boxes are removable and simplylie in the vat, as will be readily understood. In each ore holder Iprovide a quantity of crushed copper ore 6, and I prefer to crush thisore so that it will pass through a screen of one-eighth inch mesh. Theacid bath attacks the copper and the copper goes into solution in thebath. I provide two precipitating tanks 7 which also simply lie in thevat, being immersed in the fluid, and in these precipitating tanks Iplace iron bars 8 which are disposed in an inclined position, as shownin Fig. 2. The copper which is in solution in the acid bath deposits ina linely divided metallic form as cement copper on the iron bars, andaccumulates within the precipitating tanks. kIn other words, thepresence of the iron precipitates t-he copper which clings to the iron.On account of the inclination of the bars, the copper will gravitate andfall from the bars so as to accumulate in beds in the bot-toms of theprecipitating tanks. In this way the precipitation may be carried on'continuously until the iron bars are substantially covered by the bedof cement copper in the precipitating tanks. I find that better resultsare obtained by having the ore holders 5 of small height, for instance,if the depth of the solution is about three feet, the height of thetanks 5 may be about two feet and the precipitating tanks 7 areapproximately the same height, and I find that the operation is veryefficient if the upper edge of the precipitating tank is a foot belowthe level of the liquid. The precipitating tanks 7 should be coatedinside and out with the cyanid paint in the same manner as the copperholders. By crushing the ore to about the grade of one-eighth inch meshno agitation is necessary in carrying lout the process. When the copperin the ore of any one of the ore holders 5 has substantially all passedinto solution the ore holder may be removed and the liquid permitted todrain back into the vat and the gangue or dross may be thrown out. Thetank may then be refilled with fresh ore and returned to the vat. Inthis way the process may be carried on continuously and the liquidwithin the vat can be kept charged with copper which is constantlyprecipitating on the bars 8.

Vhat I claim is In apparatus of the class described, a tank having aplurality of removable ore holders disposed therein and adapted to beimmersed in the bath contained by said tank and a removableprecipitating tank adapted also to be ilnmersed in the bath held Withinday of July, 1910.

V. A. BREVER.

Witnesses F. D. AMMEN,

EDMUND A. STRAUSE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ive cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

